THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: To make society aware about the merits of breastfeeding, the Women and Child Development Department will launch a week-long campaign ‘Adyamritham’ on Wednesday. The state-level inauguration of the will be done by Health and Social Justice Minister K K Shylaja at the Tagore Theatre at noon. According to the department, the campaign will be in line with the World Breastfeeding Week 2018, which will be observed with the theme ‘Breastfeeding: Foundation of Life.’
“We consider ourselves literate. But as per the National Family Health Survey only 53 per cent of the mothers in the state bother to breastfeed their child within that crucial first hour of life,” said Shylaja.
“With a majority of new mothers being unaware of the benefits of colostrum (considered to be the baby’s ‘first vaccine’) , the department is of the view that it is high time that a campaign is launched to impart awareness on the benefits of breastfeeding.”